FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu August 22, 2016 2016 MSUB volleyball season preview MSUB Volleyball on Facebook | MSUB Volleyball Stack on ISSUU | 2016 Media Guide 2016 MSUB Volleyball Schedule | 2016 MSUB Volleyball Roster | Preview Interviews
The 2016 MSUB volleyball team under first-year head coach Casey Williams is gearing-up for a competitive season.
The 2016 MSUB volleyball team is gearing-up for a competitive season under first-year head coach Casey Williams. BILLINGS, Mont. – A new era begins this fall for the MSU Billings volleyball program under the direction of first-year head coach Casey Williams. After finishing in a tie for eighth in the league last season with a conference record of 5-15, the 2016 squad is looking to pursue excellence with a mixture of seasoned returners bolstered by a crop of talented newcomers to the ‘Jacket lineup. Williams, a Billings native and Skyview High School standout, has been hard at work putting together a competitive roster for her opening season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. With just four returning players, the newly minted head coach needed to find a group of players to add to her foundation while bringing the Yellowjacket program into its next phase.
“We were in a little bit of a time crunch in getting our recruiting done this year just because of timing,” Coach Williams said. “We wanted to add experience as well as bringing in some freshmen for balance. I think our coaching staff succeeded in adding the kind of players we were looking for, and I am liking where we stand for 2016.” Completing the 2016 Yellowjacket lineup wasn’t without a few bumps, including losing two players in the summer to seasonending injuries that will have veteran Kimmy Kirk and promising newcomer Taylor Sherman on the sidelines this year. Even with the set-backs, Williams has assembled a team she is excited to present as this year’s roster. Heading out of the gate, two returning faces will be the cornerstone for a team eager to be returning to the court for their final seasons in a Yellowjacket uniform. The MSUB offense will be led by senior outside hitter Ashlynn Ward. A decorated player, Ward was an Honorable Mention allGNAC selection last season, finishing fourth in the conference in kill per set at 3.30. The native of Rexburg, Idaho, led last year’s team in kills with 347 on a .213 (347-1341002) attack percentage. Ward has improved her blocking prowess, contributing 51.0 blocks last season for third-best on the team. The 6’1” starter has amassed 758 kills in her three previous seasons at MSUB and needs 99 this season to crack the Yellowjacket top-10. “Ashlynn is one of our most powerful hitters,” Williams commented. “She is stepping-up on offense and this year will be in the rotation for defense. As a leader on MSUB seniors Kimmy Kirk (L-R), Stormy Siemion, Ashlynn Ward, and Kylee Cornelio. our team, we have asked her to come out of her shell more and she has down well this far. She does a great job of leading by example and we see her teammates emulating Ashlynn’s work ethic in the gym.” Joining Ward is senior leader and all-court player Stormy Siemion. The 5’8” native of Huntley, Mont., is headed for her final year on the court after being a starter since her freshman year. Last season Siemion recorded 111 kills for the team and was third in digs with 209. She has amassed 410 kills and 579 digs at MSUB and wants to make an impact her last year as a ‘Jacket. “We are expecting a lot from Stormy,” Williams said. “She will be in a six rotation for us which she has the capability to do for us successfully. She is a versatile player who anticipates really well. As a three-year player, Stormy has learned the shot selection she needs to be a competitive player in the GNAC.”
Anchoring the defense for the ‘Jackets this season is junior Mataia Robinson. The former Mataia Roderick was married this summer and returns to the court as an upperclassman having played in all 56 matches for MSUB since her freshman season. Robinson finished last year with 188 digs and was third on the team in service aces at 22. In her two seasons, she has accumulated 431 digs in 203 sets. Rounding out the returners is sophomore middle blocker Miranda McConnell. In her opening collegiate campaign, the 6’1” front row player put up 61.0 total blocks for the second-highest on the team while recording 133 kills. McConnell was also used as a serving middle finishing with 21 aces and 48 digs for the team. Last year McConnell posted the seventh-highest attack percentage in a single match at MSUB with a 14-2-15 performance against Academy of Art in which she finished with 14 kills on a .667 attack percentage. McConnell will be the lone returning middle for MSUB, but has experience as she played in all 29 matches last season. “Mataia is one of the hardest working people on the team,” Williams commented on the returning junior. “She is one of our most consistent defenders and serve receive passers. She has such high energy and her teammates know they can count on her to bring in a boost when they need it. Miranda has been solid for us this first week. She has been working on mixing up her swings and we are working on getting her comfortable in all of the middle attacking zones. She and our setter Angala have been working on connecting and have come a long way since Day 1.” Coming in late to the recruiting process, Williams needed to add an array of talent and she found it in a variety of venues. Six new players were added, three incoming freshmen and three transfers. Kylee Cornelio is joining the ‘Jackets a seasoned and knowledgeable addition. A native of Hawaii, the 5’4” libero was recruited to play at Laredo Community College for two seasons before transferring to Division I Prairie View A&M for her junior campaign. Cornelio saw court time in 73 sets averaging 1.86 digs and .14 services aces per set. With such a wealth of on-court expertise, Williams looks for Cornelio to have an immediate impact in the defensive court and as a veteran leader. The Yellowjackets have one international player this season in Lexa de Jesus. The outside hitter from Puayama, Puerto Rico, spent her first two seasons competing for the New Mexico Military Institute. De Jesus was the team’s captain and volleyball MVP last season amassing 101 kills and 10 blocks in the front row. She played both outside and opposite side hitter, but Williams sees her as primarily filling-in on the right side. The third transfer this season, Casey Rich, is from Weston Idaho, but played her first two seasons for Northwest College in Wyoming. The 5’9” middle blocker was on a team that finished 17-2 in their conference last season, advancing to the national tournament and the fourth round. Rich posted 86 kills on 250 attempts in the middle with 61 total blocks. After playing in such a dynamic league, Williams knows Rich will be able to keep up with the fast pace of the GNAC and west region hitters. “In Kylee we are excited about the level of playing and coaching experience she brings to our program,“ Williams said. “She will be in-command of our defense from the back row and is a consistent serve receive passer with strong ball pursuit. Lexa has good contact and swings on the ball well. She has been working on reps on both the outside and right side and has a tough top-spin serve which has been pushing our serve receive to improve. Casey is from a very tough program and comes in with a lot of strong technique. She is quick, agile, and has helped speed-up the pace of our offense.”
A trio of freshmen are looking to make their mark this season. A 5’9” setter from Colorado Springs, Colo., is first-up for MSUB and will be positioning the offense this season as four-year starter and MSUB record-holder Kyndal Williams graduated last year. Angala Jensen has some experience in running a team’s offense. The three-sport standout led her prep team to the state volleyball finals all four years in high school and last season finished with a 23-4 record. She was an AVCA honored player and a state and regional award-winning player. Jensen will have just two weeks to learn a new offensive system and her hitter’s tendencies before the team’s opening match in Hawaii on Sept., 1, but Coach Williams knows she is up for the challenge. Bre Rodrigues is the second addition originally from the state of Hawaii. The 5’10” front row player will spend time at middle and right side for the ‘Jackets. A talented athlete, Rodrigues finished with a .471 attack percentage last season. Williams knows she will have a learning curve and adjustments at the collegiate level, but is excited to see what Rodrigues will do for the Yellowjackets this year. The final member of the incoming freshmen class is defensive specialist Faith Taylor. The 5’2” high school libero is from local Huntley, Mont., playing on the same prep team Siemion competed for. Taylor was coached by MSUB alumna and Hall of Fame member Ioona Stookey whose 2015 team finished as the Montana Class B runner-up. Taylor has been hard at work this summer preparing for the season and has been a welcome addition to the defensive court. “We have a very talented freshmen class this year,” Williams said. “Angala has been working with assistant coach Carly Wehling a lot on timing and connecting with our offense. She is also an offensive threat and has taken command and improved her communication skills as a leader for her team. Bre is one of our most athletic players this year with a great vertical. She is explosive with good contact on the ball. We are working on increasing her communication, but she is a very solid player. Faith is one of our hardest working players. She gets a lot of balls up we think are close to impossible and is consistent on serve receive patterns.” The team opens the season at a tournament in Hawaii that runs Sept. 1 thru Sept 3. The ‘Jackets travel the next week to California for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase where MSUB will continue its season with four more competitive in-region opponents. The program doesn’t have much breathing room, travelling home on Sept. 11 from the California sunshine to get ready for a match at Rocky on Sept. 12. The intra-city rivalry has traditionally been a very competitive affair. In last season’s match at the Fortin Center, Set 3 was won by MSUB at a score of 38-36. There were 24 tie scores and 12 lead changes during the longest set of the season for the Yellowjackets. “We are excited about the high-level completion in Hawaii with some very strong teams,” Williams said. “Our goal is to push ourselves in the preseason to prepare for the competitive GNAC. In California, we are excited to see some of our west region teams. We are also excited to play Rocky, and it is a great opportunity to have the community come out and see the two Billings collegiate teams compete.” That same week, the ‘Jackets open GNAC competition at home with Simon Fraser on Friday, Sept. 16, and Western Washington on Sept. 17. Both matches begin at 7:00 p.m. at Alterowitz Gymnasium. In last week’s GNAC coaches’ poll, the Vikings were unanimously selected to win the conference title. MSU Billings was picked to finish 10th after finishing 2015 with a 6-23 overall record and a tie for eighth in the conference standings at 5-15. Coach Williams knows the preseason poll is based on the previous year’s records, and with a lot of new coaches and players in the GNAC this year, the conference will have a lot of competitive programs fighting for a spot in the top-half of the standings this season.
“Our goal is to be competitive with every team we face and to move-up into the top-half of the conference standing,” Williams commented on the team’s goals. “It will take a lot of work and preparation, but with the team we have I think it is achievable. We have a really dynamic group, and hopefully the bonds they are creating will show-up on and off the court.” Live video and statistics will be available for all MSUB home matches and all GNAC road contests throughout the 2016 season, through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal.
The 2016 MSUB volleyball junior class Lexa de Jesus (L-R), Casey Rich, and Mataia Robinson
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